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This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title.
If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page. Also, if you wanted to search for the term "Jonathan", click here.


Jonathan
Jonathan
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Portrays: Lucifer
Date of Birth: November 06, 1914
Date of Death: November 03, 2002
Age at Death: 87
Related Media
@ BW Media

Warning: Default sort key "Harris, Jonathan" overrides earlier default sort key "Jonathan".


Jonathan Harris (born Jonathan Charasuchin on November 6, 1914, died November 3, 2002) was an American actor.

Harris is known by Original Series enthusiasts as the actor who provided the voice of Lucifer, the IL-series Cylon. He may be best known as the villainous Dr. Zachary Smith in the TV series Lost in Space.

Born in the Bronx, New York, the son of Jewish emigrés from Russia, Harris first worked in a pharmacy, and later earned a pharmacology degree at Fordham University. Changing careers to pursue acting, he changed his name and learned to speak without a strong Bronx accent. In 1938, he married Gertrude Bergman.

Harris first appeared on Broadway with Heart of a City in 1942, and went on to perform over 100 plays. His first appearance on television was in 1948, which was then a live media, and he went on to make his film debut in Botany Bay in 1953.

Harris returned to TV, appearing in one of his most recognizable roles on The Third Man as Harry Lime's manservant.

In 1965, he first appeared in Lost in Space in the role of Dr. Zachary Smith. Although Smith was originally cast as a one-shot character, after a stellar introductory appearance, he was made a recurring member of the cast. Smith's relationship with the show's robot is particularly memorable as are his endless putdowns of the machine with such phrases as "You bubble-headed booby!" That Harris would later portray a robot in Battlestar Galactica is an obvious irony.

Harris reprised his role as Dr. Smith in the one-hour TV special Lost in Space Forever in 1998. However, unlike his costars in the original show, he declined to make a cameo appearance in the motion picture version of Lost in Space that was released later that year.

Although occasionally called upon for cameos and guest shots as villains (usually of the Dr. Smith type) Harris spent most of the remainder of his career as a voice actor, appearing in TV commercials as well as animated television and features.

Harris passed away on November 3, 2002 at the age of 87, in Encino, California. He is survived by his wife, Gertrude, and their son, Richard.

  • Harris is the only Lost in Space cast member to appear in the Original Series. However, Anne Lockhart, daughter of Harris' Lost in Space co-star June Lockhart, later came to join the series as Lieutenant Sheba.
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Jonathan
Role: Set Decorator
BSG Universe: Re-imagined Series
Date of Birth:
Date of Death: Missing required parameter 1=month! ,


IMDb profile

Warning: Default sort key "Lancaster, Jonathan" overrides earlier default sort key "Harris, Jonathan".

Jonathan Lancaster is the set decorator for the Re-imagined Series.

Lancaster appears in a video blog episode with David Eick on the sets of Pegasus prior to their debut.

His other work includes the film Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.



This is a listing of all people who have worked on the various comic books related to any of the Battlestar Galactica series.

Dynamite Entertainment

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Salvatore Aiala

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Salvatore Aiala is the colorist of the re-imagined Galactica 1980 comic book mini-series.

Dennis Calero

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Dennis Calero is a cover artist who created covers for Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts 1 and Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts 4.

Dave Dorman

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Dave Dorman is an artist working on covers for Dynamite Entertainment. Dorman has done covers for all five of the comics based on the Original Series.

Romulo Fajardo Jr.

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Romulo Fajardo Jr. is a colorist whose works include the Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts series.

Marc Guggenheim

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Marc Guggenheim is the writer of the re-imagined Galactica 1980 comic book mini-series.

Jackson Herbert

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Jackson Herbert is a penciller whose works include the Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero series.

Brandon Jerwa

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Main article: Brandon Jerwa

Brandon Jerwa is a writer whose works include Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts, Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus, Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero and Battlestar Galactica: Zarek.

Jonathan Lau

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Jonathan Lau is a cover artist whose works include Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus, Battlestar Galactica: Origins, and Battlestar Galactica 5 through Battlestar Galactica 8.

Lucio Parrillo

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Lucio Parrillo is the cover artist for the re-imagined Galactica 1980 comic book mini-series.

Joe Prado

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Joe Prado is a cover artist who provided covers for Battlestar Galactica 9 through Battlestar Galactica 12.

Cezar Razek

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Cezar Razek is the illustrator of the re-imagined Galactica 1980 comic book mini-series.

Stephen Segovia

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Stephen Segovia is a cover artist for various issues, including Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero and Battlestar Galactica 9 through Battlestar Galactica 12.

Stejpan Sejic

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Stejpan Sejic is a cover artist for various issues, including Battlestar Galactica: Zarek, Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero and Battlestar Galactica 5 through Battlestar Galactica 8.

Jonathan
[[File:|200px]]
Role: Composer, Electronic Musician, Sound Designer
BSG Universe: Caprica and Re-imagined Series
Date of Birth:
Date of Death: Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Nationality: USA USA
IMDb profile

Warning: Default sort key "Snipes, Jonathan" overrides earlier default sort key "Lancaster, Jonathan".

Jonathan Snipes is an electronic musician, composer, and sound designer who collaborated with Bear McCreary on music for Caprica and the Re-imagined Series. Known primarily for his work with the electronic duo Captain Ahab and the experimental hip-hop group clipping., Snipes brought innovative electronic elements to the Battlestar Galactica musical universe.

A childhood friend of Bear McCreary, Snipes contributed custom synthesizer sounds, sample libraries, and source music that helped establish the distinctive sonic identity of Caprica's futuristic nightclub environments. His most significant contribution was the song "Was Love," performed by his band Captain Ahab during a pivotal robot dance sequence in the episode "Gravedancing."

Background

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Snipes grew up in a musical household in Riverside, California. His mother played violin while his father worked extensively with the local opera company. When his father died when Jonathan was eight, he left behind an extensive classical music collection that became Snipes' primary musical education.[1]

The pivotal moment in Snipes' musical development came at age 11 when he discovered Philip Glass's 1985 "Mishima" soundtrack, which he described as "the first in a long litany of records that broke my brain." This discovery led him to electronic pioneers like Wendy Carlos and eventually to experimental electronic music.

Snipes received his undergraduate and graduate training in theater sound design at UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television, where he has taught since 2008. Unable to achieve proficiency with traditional instruments despite studying violin, trumpet, bagpipe, piano, and voice, computers became his musical salvation, allowing him to compose without technical barriers.[2]

Captain Ahab and the Caprica Connection

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In 2001, Snipes formed the electronic duo Captain Ahab with Jim Merson, specializing in what they termed "ravesploitation" - a DIY approach to jumpstyle and electropop. The band's aesthetic proved perfect for Caprica's futuristic nightclub environments, with their music appearing throughout the series' V-Club scenes.

Bear McCreary, recognizing the perfect fit between Captain Ahab's sound and Caprica's technological society, commissioned multiple tracks for the series. As McCreary noted: "His music is a perfect fit for this club, so you'll hear lots more Captain Ahab songs in the V-Club in the coming episodes."[3]

Musical Philosophy

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Captain Ahab's approach was deliberately anti-academic and inclusive, rejecting genre elitism and focusing on making music that demanded active listening rather than serving as passive background. This approach, which they called "The End of Irony," emphasized sincere engagement with styles often dismissed as "guilty pleasures."

Collaboration with Bear McCreary

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The professional relationship between Snipes and McCreary grew from their childhood friendship based on shared love of movie soundtracks. McCreary began incorporating Snipes' electronic expertise into his film and television scores, with Snipes appearing "more often in my scores than perhaps any other single musician," according to McCreary.[4]

Beyond Caprica, this collaboration extended to Eureka, Wrong Turn 2, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Trauma, and the final episode of Battlestar Galactica. Snipes contributed custom synthesizer sounds, sample libraries, and electronic elements that enhanced McCreary's orchestral approach.

Working Methodology

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McCreary would provide Snipes with specific scenes or creative briefs, allowing him broad creative freedom within narrative constraints. For the famous U-87/Philomon dance sequence, McCreary simply showed Snipes the scene and asked for something with a "high-tech feel" suitable for a robot dance.

"Was Love": Crafting Emotion for Artificial Consciousness

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Snipes' most significant contribution to Caprica was "Was Love," the Captain Ahab song featured in "Gravedancing" during the U-87 robot's/Zoe-R's dance with Philomon. The track served as a poignant exploration of artificial consciousness and emotional connection.

Snipes approached the composition with remarkable sophistication, explaining: "I watched the scene a lot before and while writing. I wanted to create something that felt both new and nostalgic, and wasn't quite a love song, since this relationship has some pretty ridiculous barriers to overcome." He crafted a song that was "half about a failed relationship, and half about the end of the world that's still beautiful and tender."[5]

The track features additional musicians John W. Snyder on piano and David Rothbaum on guitars, demonstrating Snipes' ability to integrate live instruments with electronic programming. The song's structure builds from simple, repetitive foundations with sudden dynamic shifts and textural changes, maintaining emotional complexity while fitting seamlessly into the Caprica universe's aesthetic.

Technical Innovation and Sound Design

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Beyond songwriting, Snipes served as a crucial technical collaborator, providing Bear McCreary with custom synthesizer sounds, sample libraries, and electronic elements. His studio contained extensive analog synthesizer collections including a Prophet V, Oberheim SEM, SH-101, Arp Odyssey, Korg MS-20, and various drum machines and samplers.

Snipes' technical approach combined cutting-edge digital tools with vintage analog equipment. He developed custom Max/MSP patches over 10+ years for live performance and composition, while maintaining a software-agnostic philosophy. His modular synthesizer systems provided unique sounds that enhanced McCreary's orchestral arrangements.

His sound design philosophy drew from musique concrète principles, finding musicality in "broken technology" and unwanted sounds. This approach proved particularly effective for science fiction scoring, where unusual timbres could suggest technological or otherworldly environments.[6]

Musical Style

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Snipes' compositional style represents a unique fusion of experimental electronic techniques with accessible melodic content. His work combines classical music foundations from his childhood with underground electronic culture, academic sound design training, and film scoring expertise.

His use of analog synthesizers reflects deep knowledge of electronic music history, drawing comparisons to pioneers like Wendy Carlos, John Carpenter, and Italian horror film composers like Goblin. However, his approach remains distinctly contemporary, incorporating modern production techniques and responding to current technological possibilities.

Other Projects

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clipping.

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Snipes is a founding member of the experimental hip-hop group clipping., formed with rapper Daveed Diggs and fellow producer William Hutson. The group has received critical acclaim for albums including "There Existed An Addiction To Blood" (2019), which explores horror themes through innovative production techniques.

Film Scoring

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Snipes has established himself as a significant figure in horror film scoring, with notable works including Starry Eyes (2014), Room 237 (2013), The Nightmare (2015), and A Glitch in the Matrix (2021). Critics consistently recognize him as a standout composer in the horror genre, with his analog synthesizer approach drawing comparisons to John Carpenter's influential work.

Legacy and Critical Reception

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The critical reception of Snipes' work consistently emphasizes his innovation and technical skill. His collaboration with Bear McCreary has been consistently praised, with McCreary stating: "I owe Brendan and Snipes big time for coming through with such amazing compositions. They are both incredibly important components of the BSG / Caprica musical universe."[7]

The official Caprica soundtrack release prominently features "Was Love," indicating the track's importance to the series' musical identity. While his direct contributions were limited to a handful of tracks, Snipes' work helped establish the distinctive sonic identity that separated Caprica from its predecessor while maintaining thematic continuity with the broader BSG universe.

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References

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  1. Jonathan Snipes interview (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). (April 2015).
  2. Interview with Jonathan Snipes (backup available on Archive.org) (in English).
  3. Bear McCreary. Caprica: Gravedancing (backup available on Archive.org) (in English).
  4. Bear McCreary. Captain Ahab: The End of Irony (backup available on Archive.org) (in English).
  5. Bear McCreary. Caprica: Gravedancing (backup available on Archive.org) (in English).
  6. Artist profile: Jonathan Snipes (backup available on Archive.org) (in English).
  7. Bear McCreary. Caprica Series Soundtrack Album (backup available on Archive.org) (in English).

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